Middle East, Kuwait

sea trade, Kuwait city, Persian Gulf, discovery of oil, Iraq

Kuwait (country), Islamic constitutional monarchy in southwestern Asia, located at the northwestern tip of the Persian Gulf. The country is bordered on the north and west by Iraq, on the south and west by Saudi Arabia, and on the east by the Persian Gulf. The capital is Kuwait city. For many years Kuwait was a small emirate whose economy centered on sea trade and especially pearl exports. The discovery of oil in the 20th century transformed all aspects of Kuwaiti society, and today the country has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.